


No One Can Hear You Love

by AbelQuartz



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Adults, Aged-Up Character(s), Anniversary, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, Marriage, Married Couple, Outer Space, Touching, Touchy-Feely, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:40:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25407793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbelQuartz/pseuds/AbelQuartz
Summary: It's Steven and Connie's 20th anniversary!(An anonymous Tumblr prompt <3)
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe
Comments: 1
Kudos: 28





	No One Can Hear You Love

Leave no trace, leave no humanity. Steven knew that there were elements in this planet that had yet to be discovered by humans, biological processes unique to all of reality, and that a single empty wine bottle probably wouldn’t throw off the balance of the universe. Still, as he stepped out of the warp, he knew it was better safe than sorry. They would take everything with them, and there would be nothing but the warp pad to show that this world had been disturbed.

Connie turned to look at him from the top of the knoll. Steven waded across the grass, brushing aside the teal strands as he got to the blanket. His wife turned back to the view of the field. Even if they left something, the field was thousands of acres wide, a desert prairie of off-blue grass-like plants that made waves in the gentle wind. It was like the whole world was moving except for the weighted picnic area. Above them, the string of planets drifted past, slower than the human eye could comprehend. The closest sun was far enough away to give the atmosphere a sense of permanent purple sunset, blackened at the top and studded with stars that had no name. The closest planet seemed to dwarf the one on which they took their respite. Massive orange swirls faded past the ozone, layers of gaseous storms making waves far beyond their reach. There were planets beyond there, far away in the distance, but closer than Earth’s moon, just out of reach and rotating with mathematically improbably orbits. One day, perhaps they would collide, and their picnic spot would be no more. There were hundreds more habitable worlds with plants, with oxygen, with the components necessary for human vacationing. Steven paused as he sat down. To think, he and Connie could be the last sentient eyes seeing this view for the rest of eternity, and then, even the memory would be no more.

The man pulled up his shirt and brought a corkscrew out of his Gemstone. Connie pulled her braid over her shoulder and leaned against her husband as he twisted the metal.

“How’d you even find this place?” she asked.

“I had some help from Yellow. Would you believe there are places in the galaxy they still don’t know how to get to? Luckily, she got a fleet of Peridots who are just discovering abstract mathematics.”

“Wait, really? All the crazy stuff Gems have made, and human study got to the good stuff before them?”

“I know, right?” Steven chuckled. “But they were stuck with a purpose for ages. You know, find this planet or that planet. They didn’t have the language to explore like humans do.”

Connie reached into the basket and pulled out two plastic glasses, the first ones Steven had grabbed from the kitchen. When Steven poured the wine, the liquid sank almost noiselessly into the cup. He just noticed how quiet the whole scene was, how dulled the wind, how hushed the grassland.

“I don’t know that label. What’s this stuff?”

“ _ Chancourtois _ , pretty old stuff. Dad managed to pull a bottle for me.”

“Oh lordy, Steven, do I want to know how much he payed for it?”

“We got it through the foundation, not out of pocket. The museum has some pretty eccentric investors.”

Despite the advances in Earth and Homeworld relationships, there was always an aura of mystery that put Steven and the Gems in touch with some of Earth’s more bizarre researchers and clientele. Connie’s rise through it all as a human ambassador was astounding, but not at all surprising to Steven. Geologists, archeologists, politicians, antiquers, astronomers — everyone wanted a taste of it all. Greg Universe had no idea what to do with all the money, but to the Gems, it was all just math, and they were natural at keeping things in balance. At this point, Steven wouldn’t have been surprised if his father had indeed bought the wine straight up, no matter the cost, just to get rid of excess wealth.

None of that mattered when they were away from it all. The children were with the Gems back on Earth, and the world was turning. Pearl was the most excited to be back in the house, even temporarily, as extended family. Amethyst loved being an aunt, and Garnet, of course, loved to let her sentimental side show, probably thankful she didn’t have to entertain infants anymore.

“Well, no investors tonight,” Connie murmured, tapping their glasses together. “It feels good to be where nobody can find us.”

“Privacy! Thank goodness for warp pads.”

Connie giggled and took a deep drink, sighing with contentment. Steven raised the glass to his lips. He had never quite developed the taste for wine, not when he still had a sweet tooth, but after so many social gatherings, he at least got to the point where he thought it wasn’t half-bad. There was no point in wasting a gift, either.

“You know, next time, I don’t think we’ll have to leave anyone with the kids.”

“Yeah,” Steven sighed. “Can’t believe Kelly’s gonna be twelve. I always get nervous about it, though. And c’mon, they like the Gems.”

“They do, and I can imagine Lisa’s gonna be trying to get Pearl to cook with her?”

“A whole bunch of independent spirits under the same roof. What could go wrong.”

“They love each other. We did that right at the very least,” Connie said.

Twenty years. Steven still remembered a time when he couldn’t imagine living to see twenty, and here he was, about to turn forty-six. His oldest daughter was thinking about applying to colleges soon. His father was screening (and thankfully showing negative) for every cancer under the sun. Only the Gems hadn’t changed much over the years. With the arrival of the foundation and the developments on Earth, there were adjustments to be made, but the world had been kind to them all. The Diamonds had no concept of time, it seemed, certainly not on a human scale. Talking about anniversaries was pointless; the smallest a significant event to them took place every thousand years or so.

“And we stayed together,” he said. 

“Steven, did you ever think that I wouldn’t be with you? After all of that?”

He reached around his wife and stroked the long, thick braid running over her shoulder. There were strands of white in it now, sticking out like comets in the night sky. Connie’s hair was the longest it had ever been, and the most beautiful. Steven looked in the mirror every day, and nothing changed about him. There were no wrinkles yet, and he combed his beard and curls relentlessly, but there were no gray hairs to be seen. His father was salt-and-pepper, but every day edged him closer into shock white. 

“I had no idea, Connie. Of course I wanted to be with you. But there’s so much that happens over that time, when we’re young. I can’t believe that Sadie and Shep got married, either.”

“I hope they’re doing well. We should have them over sometime.”

“We should. Heh, next year. We’ll get all the musicians we know. The kids can play, too.”

“Maybe I should pick up the violin again. It’s been… It’s been way too long.”

“You’ll do wonderfully, I’m sure.”

In the basket, Steven didn’t bring much. They had had a meal earlier before launching, and there was enough wine to keep their appetites whetted for the time being. There were dried fruits, some thin crackers and soft cheeses, a little bit of vegan salami and a knife. It was a small celebration, but that wasn’t what mattered. They were together.

Connie put her cup down on top of the basket. Even on the grass, it didn’t move an inch. Steven closed his eyes and drained the rest of his drink. As a child, he wouldn’t have thought twice about anything but the taste. Now, he could feel the thousands of dollars numbing his tongue, twirling up through his jawbone and into his head. His cup joined his wife’s.

The moment they turned to look into each other’s eyes, they were falling. Steven loved how he could hold the image inside as they kissed, the split second before their faces came together, the picture of Connie with the galaxy reflected in the blackness. The picture burned onto his brain, a preliminary guide to what his lips were touching, the familiar mouth. Twenty years ago under a white arch, Gems across space had cheered for them as they touched their lips together and held them. That wonderful silence came with this touch, with the sudden and inevitable pressure of two mouths. Blood overtook the grassy swish. The hand that had held the cup came to Connie’s side and formed around her ribs, underneath her breast.

Cushioned by the blanket and grass, the couple forgot about their refreshments as they collapsed onto the blanket. They were a speck of red and white, checkered against the alien world, underneath a sky of unseeing eyes. Steven kissed Connie, and kissed her again, and again, and she responded in like kind with every motion. He could taste the familiar wine, and underneath it, the acceptance. 

Twenty years couldn’t take away the feeling of legs tangled around each other, or the warmth of a body he knew better than his own. Jeans and capris rubbed against each other, his flannel and her loose blouse. Even with the sensual nature and the other urges, Steven stopped himself. The kisses were slow. He forced his mouth to move in time to the tide of the grass and his own heart. He forced himself to be meditative. Even through it, he knew Connie was the one truly in charge here. Her mouth asked questions without words, and her lips moved against his in a language no other man spoke.

Their foreheads came together in line as they let the breath fall apart. Steven ran his hand up the back of Connie’s neck, stroking her scalp. Connie rested her fingers across her husband’s side as their loose arms stretched up into the grass. Steven opened his mouth again, but his eyes opened with them, and he saw, with confusion, the world blurring, his wife turning into mere shapes.

“Steven?”

“I don’t want to lose you.”

“You’re not. You’re not, you’re never going to lose me.”

“What if I do?” he whispered. “When I do? I love you, I love you so much, a-and I’m still scared, after all this time, and I don’t know what to do, Connie…”

“Nobody knows what to do. We don’t have to think about it.”

_ It hurts. _

Was it ever easier when they were falling together? This was solid ground, despite the appearance. Maybe the grass would swallow them up. Maybe it was stalks, carnivorous all the way down to the planet’s core. They had stood together for so many years. Their children were strong and healthy, the world was at peace, and all the things Steven had worked for were coming true. The only thing left was the feeling, the inevitability of time running out. Each year was a year closer to uncertainty. All that he wanted was to lie in this field and never have to think about the planet, about benefactors, and retirement, and grants, and endeavors. Pricelessness became her. Connie was the only person he had come so close to losing besides himself, and what did he matter with her here? Selfish, selfish, all the same — but she would never let him think that. He tightened his grip. Steven closed his eyes again, and let their bodies come together as close as their clothes would allow. The giant hands were shaking again. Everything that had been moving so slowly around them was moving even slower now.

“I love you, Steven.”

“I-I…”

“Don’t speak. Don’t say it until you’re ready.”

He had been ready then, and he was ready now. It was all up to a body he had never understood. But time didn’t matter here. There was no entropy, no decay of anything but the soul. The remarkable properties of the intangible, he had found, included the fact that it could return from hopelessness, return back to a state of love. And time ignored the forces around it. He could lie here forever, and wait, and Connie would wait with him. Twenty years ago, he had promised to love her, and he had said as much in front of the universe. Steven forced a staggering breath, and Connie didn’t kiss him, but she brushed his lips over his own, an animal gesture, a question of the skin. The man closed his mouth and swallowed. There would be an answer.

**Author's Note:**

> Send prompts and more to: abel-quartz.tumblr.com! Thanks to Sharkman for helping with the timeline/world.


End file.
